4.1 The Nature Of Man
The majority of human beings seem to spend little time meditating about death, or about their own nature, which is death's fundamental cause. Such lack of self-examination leads to a lack of self-knowledge, and therefore people drift along through life, making their decisions according to the dictates of their own natural desires. There is a refusal - albeit heavily masked - to take on board the fact that life is so short that all too soon the finality of death will be upon us. "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away". "We must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again". "Like grass which groweth up; in the morning it (our youth) flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth" (James 4:14; 2 Sam. 14:14; Ps. 90:5,6). Moses, a truly thoughtful man, recognized this, and pleaded to God: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. 90:12). Therefore, in view of life's brevity, we should make our acquisition of true wisdom a number one priority.
Man's response to the finality of death is varied. Some cultures have tried to make death and funerals part of life, to lessen the sense of loss and finality. The majority of those bearing the name 'Christian' have concluded that man has an 'immortal soul' or some element of immortality within him which survives death, going on to some place of reward or punishment afterwards. Death being the most fundamental problem and tragedy of human experience, it is to be expected that man's mind has been much exercised to lessen its mental impact; therefore a whole range of false theories have arisen concerning death and the very nature of man. As always, these must be tested against the Bible in order to find the real truth about this vital topic. It should be remembered that the very first lie recorded in the Bible is that of the serpent in the garden of Eden. Contrary to God's plain statement that man would "surely die" if he sinned (Gen. 2:17), the serpent asserted, "Ye shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:4). This attempt to negate the finality and totality of death has become a characteristic of all false religions. It is evident that in this area especially, one false doctrine leads to another, and another, and another. Conversely, one piece of truth leads to another, as shown by 1 Cor. 15:13-17. Here Paul jumps from one truth to another (notice "if...if...if...").
To understand our true nature, we need to consider what the Bible says about the creation of man. The record is in plain language, which, if taken literally, leaves us in no doubt about exactly what we are by nature (see Digression 18 concerning the literality of Genesis). "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground...out of it (the ground) wast thou (Adam) taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 2:7; 3:19). There is absolutely no hint here that man has any inherent immortality; there is no part of him which will live on after death.
There is a marked Biblical emphasis on the fact that man is fundamentally composed of mere dust: "We are the clay" (Isa. 64:8); "man is of the earth, earthy" (1 Cor. 15:47); man's "foundation is in the dust" (Job 4:19); "and man shall turn again unto dust" (Job 34:14,15). Abraham admitted that he was "but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). Immediately after disobeying God's command in Eden, God "drove out the man...lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever" (Gen. 3:24,22). If man had an immortal element within him naturally, this would have been unnecessary.
CONDITIONAL IMMORTALITY
The constantly repeated message of the Gospel is that man can find a way to gain eternal life and immortality through the work of Christ. This being the only type of immortality which the Bible speaks about, it follows that the idea of an eternity of conscious suffering for wrongdoing is without any Biblical support. The only way to gain immortality is through obedience to God's commands, and those who are so obedient will spend immortality in a state of perfection - the reward for righteousness.
The following passages should be proof enough that this immortality is conditional, and is not something which we naturally possess:-
- "Christ...hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10; 1 John 1:2).
- "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you (i.e. 'inherent in you'). Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day" - to give him this "eternal life" (John 6:53,54). Christ's reasoning throughout John ch. 6 is that he is the "bread of life", and that only through correct response to him can there be any hope of immortality (John 6:47,50,51,57,58).
- "God hath given to us (believers) eternal life, and this life is in his Son" (1 John 5:11). There can be no hope of immortality for those not "in Christ". Only through Christ has immortality been made possible; He is the "author of (eternal) life" (Acts 3:15 A.V. mg.) - "the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Heb. 5:9). Immortality for men was therefore originated through the work of Christ.
- The true believer seeks for immortality, and will be rewarded for this by the gift of eternal life - something he does not naturally possess (Rom. 2:7; 6:23; John 10:28). Our mortal body "must put on immortality" at the return of Christ (1 Cor. 15:53); thus immortality is something promised, not now possessed (1 John 2:25).
- God alone has inherent immortality (1 Tim. 6:16).
4.2 The Soul
In the light of the foregoing it ought to be inconceivable that man has an 'immortal soul' or any immortal element within him naturally. We will now attempt to clear up the confusion surrounding the word 'soul'.
The Hebrew and Greek words which are translated 'soul' in the Bible ('Nephesh' and 'Psuche' respectively) are also translated in the following ways:-
Body Breath
Creature Heart
Mind Person
Himself
The 'soul' therefore refers to the person, body or self. The famous 'Save Our Souls' (S.O.S.) clearly means 'Save us from death!' The 'soul' is therefore 'you', or the summation of all the things which make up a person. It is understandable, therefore, that many modern versions of the Bible (e.g. the N.I.V.) rarely use the word 'soul', translating it instead as 'you' or 'the person'. The animals which God created are called "moving creatures...every living creature" (Gen. 1:20,21). The Hebrew word translated "creature" here is 'nephesh', which is also translated 'soul'; for example in Gen. 2:7: "...and man became a living soul". Thus man is a 'soul', just as the animals are 'souls'. The only difference between mankind and animals is that man is mentally superior to them; he is created in the physical image of God (Gen. 1:26; see Study 1.2), and some men are called to know the Gospel through which the hope of immortality is opened up to them (2 Tim. 1:10). As regards our fundamental nature and the nature of our death, there is no difference between man and animals:-
"That which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them (note the double emphasis): as the one dieth, so dieth the other...so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast...All (i.e. man and animals) go unto one place (the grave); all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again" (Ecc. 3:19,20). The inspired writer of Ecclesiastes prayed that God would help men to appreciate this hard fact, "that (men) might see that they themselves are beasts" (Ecc. 3:18). It is therefore to be expected that many people will find this fact hard to accept; indeed, it can be humiliating to realize that by nature we are just animals, living out the same instincts of self-preservation, survival of the fittest and procreation. The N.I.V. translation of Ecc.3:18 says that God 'tests' man by making him see that he is just an animal; i.e. those who are humble enough to be His true people will realize the truth of this, but those who are not will fail this 'test'. The philosophy of humanism - the idea that human beings are of such supreme importance and value - has quietly spread throughout the world during the twentieth century. It is a considerable task to clear our thinking of the influence of humanism. The plain words of Ps. 39:5 are a help: "Man at his best state is altogether vanity". "It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23).
One of the most basic things which we know is that all human bodies - indeed all "living creatures" - eventually die. The 'soul', therefore, dies; it is the exact opposite of something which is immortal. It is not surprising that about a third of all uses of the words translated 'soul' in the Bible are associated with the death and destruction of the soul. The very fact that the word 'soul' is used in this way shows that it cannot be something which is indestructible and immortal:-
- "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Eze. 18:4).
- God can destroy the soul (Matt. 10:28). Other references to souls being destroyed are: Eze. 22:27; Prov. 6:32; Lev. 23:30.
- All the "souls" that were within the city of Hazor were killed by the sword (Josh. 11:11; cp. Josh. 10:30-39).
- "...every living soul died" (Rev. 16:3; cp. Ps. 78:50).
- Frequently the Law of Moses commanded that any "soul" which disobeyed certain laws should be killed (e.g. Num. 15:27-31).
- References to the soul being strangled or snared can only make sense if it is understood that the soul can die (Prov. 18:7; 22:25; Job 7:15).
- "None can keep alive his own soul" (Ps. 22:29).
- Christ "poured out his soul unto death" so that his "soul", or life, was made an offering for sin (Isa. 53:10,12).
That the 'soul' refers to the person or body rather than some immortal spark within us is shown by the majority of verses in which the word occurs. Some obvious examples are:-
- "The blood of the souls" (Jer. 2:34).
- "If a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing...if he do not utter it...if a soul touch any unclean thing...if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips" (Lev. 5:1-4).
- "O my soul...all that is within me...Bless the Lord, O my soul...Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things" (Ps. 103:1,2,5).
- "Whosoever will save his life ('soul') shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life ('soul') for my sake...shall save it" (Mark 8:35).
This is proof enough that the soul does not refer to any spiritual element within man; here, 'soul' (Greek 'psuche') just means one's physical life, which is how it is translated here.
- Num. 21:4 shows that a group of people can have one "soul". The "soul" therefore cannot refer to a spark of personal immortality within each of us.
4.3 The Spirit Of Man
There is an unfortunate confusion in many people's minds between the soul and the spirit. This is aggravated by the fact that in some languages and Bible translations, the English words 'soul' and 'spirit' have only one equivalent. The 'soul' fundamentally referring to all the constituents of a person can sometimes refer to the spirit as well. However, normally there is a difference in meaning between 'soul' and 'spirit' as used in the Bible; soul and spirit can be 'divided asunder' (Heb. 4:12).
The Hebrew and Greek words for 'spirit' ('Ruach' and 'Pneuma' respectively) are also translated in the following ways:-
Life Spirit
Mind Wind
Breath
We have studied the idea of 'spirit' in Study 2.1. God uses His spirit to preserve the natural creation, including man. The spirit of God which is within man is therefore the life force within him. "The body without the spirit is dead" (James 2:26). "God breathed into (Adam's nostrils) the breath (spirit) of life; and man became a living soul (creature [Gen. 2:7])". Job speaks of "the spirit of God" as being "in my nostrils" (Job 27:3 cp. Isa. 2:22). The spirit of life within us is therefore given to us at birth, and remains as long as our body is alive. When God's spirit is withdrawn from anything, it immediately perishes - the spirit is the life force. If God
"gather unto Himself His spirit and His breath; all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust. If now thou hast understanding, hear this" (Job 34:14-16). The last sentence again hints that man finds this exposure of his real nature very hard to come to terms with.
When God takes away His spirit from us at death, not only does our body die, but our entire consciousness ceases. David's appreciation of this led him to trust in God rather than in creatures as weak as man. Psalm 146:3-5 is a tough counter to the claims of humanism: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath (spirit) goeth forth, he returneth to his earth (the dust from which we are made); in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help".
At death, "the dust (shall) return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Ecc. 12:7). We have shown earlier that God is present everywhere through His spirit. In this sense "God is Spirit" (John 4:24). When we die we 'breathe our last' in the sense that God's spirit within us departs from us. That spirit is absorbed into God's spirit which is all around us; so at death "the spirit shall return unto God".
Because God's spirit sustains all of creation, this same process of death occurs to animals. Men and animals have the same spirit, or life force, within them. "That which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one (i.e. the same) breath (spirit); so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast" (Ecc. 3:19). The writer goes on to say that there is no discernible difference between where the spirit of men and animals goes (Ecc. 3:21). This description of men and animals having the same spirit and dying the same death, appears to allude back to the description of how both men and animals, who both had the spirit of life from God (Gen. 2:7; 7:15), were destroyed with the same death at the flood: "All flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath (spirit) of life...died...every living substance was destroyed" (Gen. 7:21-23). Note in passing how Ps. 90:5 likens death to the flood. The record in Genesis 7 clearly shows that in fundamental terms, man is in the same category as "all flesh...every living substance". This is due to his having the same spirit of life within him as they do.
4.4 Death Is Unconsciousness
From what we have learnt so far about the soul and spirit, it should follow that while dead a person is totally unconscious. Whilst the actions of those responsible to God will be remembered by Him (Mal. 3:16; Rev. 20:12; Heb. 6:10), there is nothing in the Bible to suggest that we have any consciousness during the death state. It is hard to argue with the following clear statements concerning this:-
- "(Man's) breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day (moment) his thoughts perish" (Ps. 146:4).
- "The dead know not anything...their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished" (Ecc. 9:5,6). There is no "wisdom in the grave" (Ecc. 9:10) - no thinking and therefore no consciousness.
- Job says that on death, he would be "as though he had not been" (Job 10:18); he saw death as the oblivion, unconscious-ness and total lack of existence which we had before we were born.
- Man dies as the animals do (Ecc. 3:18); if man consciously survives death somewhere, so must they, yet both Scripture and science are silent about this.
- God "remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth...it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more" (Ps. 103:14-16).
That death is truly unconsciousness, even for the righteous, is demonstrated by the repeated pleas of God's servants to allow their lives to be lengthened, because they knew that after death they would be unable to praise and glorify God, seeing that death was a state of unconsciousness. Hezekiah (Isa. 38:17-19) and David (Ps. 6:4,5; 30:9; 39:13; 115:17) are good examples of this. Death is repeatedly referred to as a sleep or rest, both for the righteous and the wicked (Job 3:11,13,17; Dan. 12:13).
Sufficient evidence has now been produced for us to bluntly state that the popular notion of the righteous going to a state of bliss and reward in heaven straight after their death, is simply not found in the Bible. The true doctrine of death and man's nature provides a great sense of peace. After all the traumas and pains of a man's life, the grave is a place of total oblivion. For those who have not known the requirements of God, this oblivion will last for ever. Never again will the old scores of this tragic and unfulfilled natural life be raised; the futile hopes and fears of the natural human mind will not be realized or threaten.
In Bible study, there is a system of truth to be discovered; yet, sadly, there is also a system of error in man's religious thinking, due to inattention to the Bible. Man's desperate efforts to soften the finality of death have led him to believe that he has an 'immortal soul'. Once it is accepted that such an immortal element exists within man, it becomes necessary to think that it must go somewhere after death. This has led to the thought that at death there must be some difference between the fates of the righteous and the
wicked. To accommodate this, it has been concluded that there must be a place for 'good immortal souls' to go, called Heaven, and another place for 'bad immortal souls' to go, called hell. We have shown earlier that an 'immortal soul' is a Biblical impossibility. The other false ideas inherent in the popular reasoning will now be analysed:-
1. That the reward for our lives is given at death in the form of our 'immortal soul' being assigned to a certain place.
2. That the separation between righteous and wicked occurs at death.
3. That the reward for the righteous is to go to heaven.
4. That if everyone has an 'immortal soul', then everyone must go to either heaven or hell.
5. That the wicked 'souls' will go to a place of punishment called hell.
The purpose of our analysis is not just negative; by considering these points in detail, we believe that we will express many elements of Bible truth which are vital parts of the true picture concerning man's nature.
4.5 The Resurrection
The Bible emphasizes that the reward of the righteous will be at the resurrection, at the coming of Christ (1 Thess. 4:16). The resurrection of the responsible dead (see Study 4.8) will be the first thing Christ will do; this will be followed by the judgment. If the 'soul' went to heaven at death there would be no need for the resurrection. Paul said that if there is no resurrection, then all effort to be obedient to God is pointless (1 Cor. 15:32). Surely he would not have reasoned like this if he believed that he would also be rewarded with his 'soul' going to heaven at death? The implication is that he believed the resurrection of the body to be the only form of reward. Christ encouraged us with the expectation that the recompense for faithful living now would be at "the resurrection" (Luke 14:14).
Again the point must be driven home that the Bible does not teach any form of existence apart from in a bodily form - this applies to God, Christ, Angels and men. At his return, Christ "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Phil. 3:20,21). As he now has a literal bodily form, energized purely by Spirit rather than blood, so we will share a similar reward. At the judgment we will receive a recompense for how we have lived this life in a bodily form (2 Cor. 5:10). Those who have lived a fleshly life will be left with their present mortal body, which will then rot back to dust; whilst those who in their lives have tried to overcome the mind of the flesh with that of the Spirit "shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:8) in the form of a Spirit-filled body.
There is ample further evidence that the reward of the righteous will be in a bodily form. Once this is accepted, the vital importance of the resurrection should be apparent. Our present body clearly ceases to exist at death; if we can only experience eternal life and immortality in a bodily form, it follows that death must be a state of unconsciousness, until such time as our body is re-created and then given God's nature.
The whole of 1 Corinthians 15 speaks in detail of the resurrection; it will always repay careful reading. 1 Cor. 15:35-44 explains how that as a seed is sown and then emerges from the ground to be given a body by God, so the dead will likewise rise, to be rewarded with a body. As Christ rose from the grave and had his mortal body changed to an immortalized body, so the true believer will share his reward (Phil. 3:21). Through baptism we associate ourselves with Christ's death and resurrection, showing our belief that we, too, will share the reward which he received through his resurrection (Rom.6:3-5). Through sharing in his sufferings now, we will also share his reward: "Bearing about (now) in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body" (2 Cor. 4:10). "He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit" (Rom. 8:11). With this hope, we therefore wait for "the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23), through that body being immortalized.
This hope of a literal bodily reward has been understood by God's people from earliest times. Abraham was promised that he, personally, would inherit the land of Canaan for ever, as surely as he had walked up and down in it (Gen. 13:17; see Study 3.4). His faith in those promises would have necessitated his belief that his body would somehow, at a future date, be revived and made immortal, so that this would be possible.
Job clearly expressed his understanding of how, despite his body being eaten by worms in the grave, he would, in a bodily form, receive his reward: "My redeemer liveth, and...shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body ("after my skin is destroyed", R.A.V.), yet in my flesh (or bodily form) shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another: though my reins be consumed within me" (Job 19:25-27). Isaiah's hope was identical: "My dead body shall...arise" (Isa. 26:19).
Very similar words are found in the account of the death of Lazarus, a personal friend of Jesus. Instead of comforting the man's sisters by saying that his soul had gone to heaven, the Lord Jesus spoke of the day of resurrection: "Thy brother shall rise again". The immediate response of Lazarus' sister Martha shows how much this was appreciated by the early Christians: "Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (John 11:23,24). Like Job, she did not understand death to be the gateway to a life of bliss in heaven, but, instead, looked forward to a resurrection "at the last day" (cp. Job's "latter day"). The Lord promises: "Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father...I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44,45).
4.6 The Judgment
Bible teaching concerning the judgment is one of the basic principles of the one faith, which must be clearly understood before baptism (Acts 24:25; Heb. 6:2). Frequently the Scriptures speak of "the day of judgment" (e.g. 2 Pet. 2:9; 3:7; 1 John 4:17; Jude 6), a time when those who have been given the knowledge of God will receive their reward. All these must "stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Rom. 14:10); we "appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:10) to receive a recompense for our lives in a bodily form.
Daniel's visions concerning Christ's second coming, included one of this judgment seat in the form of a throne (Dan. 7:9-14). The parables help to flesh out the details somewhat. That of the talents likens it to the return of a master, who calls his servants and assesses how well they have used the money which he had left them (Matt. 25:14-29). The parable of the fishermen likens the call of the gospel to a fishing net, gathering all kinds of people; the men then sat down (cp. the judgment sitting) and divided the good fish from the bad (Matt. 13:47-49). The interpretation is clear: "At the end of the world the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just".
From what we have seen so far, it is fair to assume that after the Lord's return and the resurrection, there will be a gathering together of all who have been called to the Gospel to a certain place at a specific time, when they will meet Christ. An account will have to be given by them, and he will indicate whether or not they are acceptable to receive the reward of entering the Kingdom. It is only at this point that the righteous receive their reward. All this is brought together by the parable of the sheep and goats: "The Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory (David's throne in Jerusalem, Luke 1:32,33): and before him shall be gathered all nations (i.e.people from all nations, cp. Matt. 28:19): and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you" (Matt. 25:31-34).
Inheriting the Kingdom of God, receiving the promises to Abraham concerning it, is the reward of the righteous. Yet this will only be after the judgment, which will be at Christ's return. It is therefore impossible to receive the promised reward of an immortalized body before Christ's return; we therefore have to conclude that from the time of death until the resurrection, the believer has no conscious existence at all, seeing that it is impossible to exist in any form without having a body.
It is a repeated Biblical principle that when Christ returns, then the reward will be given - and not before:-
- "When the chief Shepherd (Jesus) shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory" (1 Pet. 5:4 cp. 1:13).
- "Jesus Christ...shall judge the quick (living) and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom...a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day" (2 Tim. 4:1,8).
- At Messiah's return in the last days, "many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth (cp. Gen. 3:19) shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame" (Dan. 12:2).
- When Christ comes in judgment, those "in the graves...shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:25-29).
- "I (Jesus) come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (Rev. 22:12). We do not go to heaven to get the reward - Christ brings it from heaven to us.
Jesus bringing our reward with him implies that it has been prepared for us in heaven, but will be brought to us on the earth at the second coming; our "inheritance" of the land promised to Abraham is in this sense "reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" of Christ's coming (1 Peter 1:4,5).
Appreciating this enables us to correctly interpret a much misunderstood passage in John 14:2,3: "I (Jesus) go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you (cp. the reward "reserved in heaven"), I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also". Jesus says elsewhere that he will come again to give us our rewards (Rev. 22:12), and we have seen that these will be given at his judgment
seat. He will reign on David's throne in Jerusalem "for ever" (Luke 1:32,33). He will spend eternity here on earth, and where he will be - in God's Kingdom on earth - there we will also be. His promise to "receive you unto myself" can therefore be read as a description of our being accepted by him at the judgment. The Greek phrase, "receive you unto myself", also occurs in Matt. 1:20 concerning Joseph "taking unto himself" Mary as his wife. It therefore does not necessarily refer to physical movement towards Jesus.
As the reward will only be given at the judgment on Christ's return, it follows that the righteous and wicked go to the same place when they die, i.e. the grave. There is no differentiation made between them in their deaths. The following is proof positive for this:-
- Jonathan was righteous but Saul wicked, yet "in their death they were not divided" (2 Sam. 1:23).
- Saul, Jonathan and Samuel all went to the same place at death (1 Sam. 28:19).
- Righteous Abraham was "gathered to his people" , or ancestors, on death; they were idolaters (Gen. 25:8; Josh. 24:2).
- The spiritually wise and foolish experience the same death (Ecc. 2:15,16).
All this is in sharp contrast to the claims of popular 'Christianity'. Their teaching that the righteous immediately go to heaven at death destroys the need for a resurrection and judgment. Yet we have seen that these are vital events in God's plan of salvation, and therefore in the Gospel message. The popular idea suggests that one righteous person dies and is rewarded by going to heaven, to be followed the next day, the next month, the next year, by others. This is in sharp contrast to the Bible's teaching that all the righteous will be rewarded together, at the same time:-
- The sheep are divided from the goats at the judgment, one by one.
Once the judgment has finished, Christ will say to all the sheep
assembled on his right hand,
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you" (Matt. 25:34). Thus all the sheep inherit the Kingdom at the same time (cp. 1 Cor. 15:52).
- At "the harvest" of Christ's return and judgment, all those who have laboured in the Gospel will "rejoice together" (John 4:35,36 cp. Matt. 13:39).
- Rev. 11:18 defines "the time of the dead, that they should be judged" as the time when God will "give reward unto Thy servants...the saints...them that fear Thy name" - i.e. all believers together.
- Hebrews 11 is a chapter listing many of the righteous men of the Old Testament. Verse 13 comments: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises" made to Abraham about salvation through entering God's Kingdom (Heb. 11:8-12). It follows that at their death, these men did not, one by one, go off to heaven to receive a reward. The reason for this is given in vs. 39,40: They "received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect". The delay in granting their promised reward was because it was God's plan that all the faithful should "be made perfect" together, at the same moment. This will be at the judgment, at Christ's return.
4.7 The Place Of Reward: Heaven Or Earth?
Apart from the above reasons, any who still feel that heaven rather than earth will be the location of God's Kingdom, i.e. the promised reward, need to also explain away the following points:-
- The 'Lord's Prayer' asks for God's Kingdom to come (i.e. praying for the return of Christ), whereby God's desires will be done on earth as they are now done in heaven (Matt. 6:10). We are therefore praying for God's Kingdom to come on the earth. It is a tragedy that thousands of people thoughtlessly pray these words each day whilst still believing that God's Kingdom is now already fully established in heaven, and that the earth will be destroyed.
- "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5) - not '...for their souls shall go to heaven'. This is alluding to Psalm 37, the whole of which emphasizes that the final reward of the righteous will be upon the earth. In the very same location that the wicked had enjoyed their temporary supremacy, the righteous will be recompensed with eternal life, and possess this same earth that the wicked once dominated (Ps. 37:34,35). "The meek shall inherit the earth...Such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth...The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever" (Ps. 37:11,22,29). Living in the earth/promised land for ever means that eternal life in heaven is an impossibility.
- "David...is both dead and buried...David is not ascended into the heavens" (Acts 2:29,34). Instead, Peter explained that his hope was the resurrection from the dead at Christ's return (Acts 2:22-36).
- Earth is the arena of God's operations with mankind: "Heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's, but the earth hath He given to the children of men" (Ps. 115:16).
- Rev. 5:9,10 relates a vision of what the righteous will say when they are accepted at the judgment seat: "(Christ) hath made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth". This picture of ruling in God's Kingdom on earth is quite removed from the vague conception that we will enjoy 'bliss' somewhere in heaven.
- The prophecies of Daniel chapters 2 and 7 outline a succession of political powers, which would finally be superseded by the Kingdom of God at Christ's return. The dominion of this Kingdom would be "under the whole heaven",
and would fill "the whole earth" (Dan. 7:27; 2:35 cp. v. 44). This everlasting Kingdom "shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High" (Dan. 7:27); their reward is therefore eternal life in this Kingdom which is to be located on earth, under the heavens.
4.8 Responsibility To God
If man has an 'immortal soul' naturally, he is forced to have an eternal destiny somewhere - either in a place of reward or of punishment. This implies that everyone is responsible to God. By contrast, we have shown how the Bible teaches that by nature man is like the animals, without any inherent immortality. However, some men have been offered the prospect of eternal life in God's Kingdom. It should be apparent that not everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected; like the animals, man lives and dies, to decompose into dust. Yet because there will be a judgment, with some being condemned and others rewarded with eternal life, we have to conclude that there will be a certain category amongst mankind who will be resurrected in order to be judged and rewarded.
Whether or not someone will be resurrected depends on whether they are responsible to the judgment. The basis of our judgment will be how we have responded to our knowledge of God's word. Christ explained: "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). Those who have not known or understood the word of Christ, and therefore had no opportunity to accept or reject him, will not be accountable to the judgment. "As many as have sinned without (knowing God's) law, shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law (i.e. knowing it), shall be judged by the law" (Rom. 2:12). Thus those who have not known God's requirements will perish like the animals; whilst those who knowingly break God's law need to be judged, and therefore resurrected to face that judgment.
In God's sight "sin is not imputed when there is no law"; "sin is the transgression of the (God's) law"; "by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 5:13; 1 John 3:4; Rom. 3:20). Without being aware of God's laws as revealed in His Word, "sin is not imputed" to a person, and therefore they will not be judged or resurrected. Those who do not know God's Word will therefore remain dead, as will animals and plants, seeing they are in the same position. "Man that... understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish" (Ps. 49:20). "Like sheep they are laid in the grave" (Ps. 49:14).
It is having the knowledge of God's ways that makes us responsible to Him for our actions and therefore necessitates our resurrection and appearance at the judgment seat. It should therefore be understood that it is not only the righteous or those baptized who will be resurrected, but all who are responsible to God by reason of their knowledge of Him. This is an oft repeated Scriptural theme:-
- John 15:22 shows that knowledge of the Word brings responsibility: "If I (Jesus) had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke ('excuse', A.V. mg.) for their sin". Romans 1:20-21 likewise says that knowing God leaves men "without excuse".
- "Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father...I (Christ) will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44,45).
- God only "winks at" the actions of those who are genuinely ignorant of His ways. Those who know His ways, He watches and expects a response (Acts 17:30).
- "That servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes (e.g. by remaining dead). For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more" (Luke 12:47,48) - so how much more God?
- "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).
- Israel's special responsibility to God was on account of His revelations to them concerning Himself (Amos 3:2).
- Because of this doctrine of responsibility, "it had been better for them (who later turn back from God) not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them" (2 Pet. 2:21). Other relevant passages include: John 9:41; 3:19; 1 Tim. 1:13; Hos. 4:14; Deut. 1:39.
Knowledge of God making us responsible to the judgment seat, it follows that those without this knowledge will not be resurrected, seeing that they do not need to be judged, and that their lack of knowledge makes them "like the beasts that perish" (Ps. 49:20). There are ample indications that not all who have ever lived will be resurrected:-
- The people of the ancient nation of Babylon "shall not rise" after their death because they were ignorant of the true God (Jer. 51:39; Is. 43:17).
- Isaiah encouraged himself: "O Lord our (Israel's) God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us (e.g. the Philistines and Babylonians)...They are dead, they shall not live (again); they are deceased, they shall not rise...all their memory to perish". (Is. 26: .13,14). Note the triple emphasis here on their not being resurrected: "Shall not live (again)...shall not rise...all their memory to perish". By contrast, Israel had the prospect of resurrection on account of their knowledge of the true God: "Thy (Israel's) dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise" (Is. 26:19).
- Speaking about God's people Israel, we are told that at Christ's return, "many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2). Thus "many", but not all, of the Jews will be resurrected, due to their responsibility to God as His chosen people. Those of them who are totally ignorant of their true God "shall fall, and never rise up again", seeing they are unable to find "the word of the Lord" (Amos 8:12,14).
WE HAVE NOW LEARNT THAT:-
1. Knowledge of God's Word brings responsibility to Him.
2. Only the responsible will be resurrected and judged.
3. Those who do not know the true God will therefore remain dead like the animals.
The implications of these conclusions make a hard hit on human pride and what we would naturally prefer to believe: the millions of people, both now and throughout history, who have been ignorant of the true Gospel; the severely mentally ill, who are unable to comprehend the Bible's message; babies and young children who have died before being old enough to appreciate the Gospel; all of these groups fall within the category of those who not have had the true knowledge of God, and are not therefore responsible to Him. This means that they will not be resurrected, regardless of their parents' spiritual status. This runs completely against the grain of humanism and all our natural desires and feelings; yet a true humility to God's Word of ultimate truth, coupled with a suitably humble opinion of our own nature, will lead us to accept the truth of this. A candid examination of the facts of human experience, even without the guidance of Scripture, will also lead to the conclusion that there can be no hope of future life for the groups mentioned above.
Our questioning of God's ways in these matters is grossly out of order: "O man, who art thou that disputest with God?" (Rom. 9:20 A.V. mg.). We may admit incomprehension, but never must we accuse God of injustice orunrighteousness. The implication that God can be in any way unloving or in error opens up the horrific prospect of an all-powerful God, Father and Creator who treats His creatures in an unreasonable and unjust way. The record of king David's loss of his baby is helpful reading; 2 Sam. 12:15-24 records how David prayed hard for the child while it was alive, but he realistically accepted the finality of its death: "While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again?...he shall not return to me". David then comforted his wife, and had another child as soon as possible.
Finally, it has to be said that many people, on grasping this principle of responsibility to God, feel that they do not wish to gain any more knowledge of Him in case they become responsible to Him and the judgment. Yet to some degree it is likely that such people are already responsible to God, seeing their knowledge of God's Word has made them aware of the fact that God is working in their lives, offering them a real relationship with Him. It must ever be remembered that "God IS love", He is "not willing that any should perish", and "gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (1 John 4:8; 2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16). God wants us to be in His Kingdom.
Such an honour and privilege inevitably bring responsibilities. Yet these are not designed to be too heavy or onerous for us; if we truly love God, we will appreciate that His offer of salvation is not an automatic reward for certain works, but a loving desire on His part to do all that He can for His children, to grant them an eternal life of happiness, through their appreciation of His marvellous character.
As we come to appreciate and hear the call of God to us through His Word, we will realize that as we walk through the crowds, God is watching us with a special intensity, eagerly seeking signs of our response to His love, rather than waiting for us to fail to live up to our responsibilities. Never is that loving eye off us; never can we forget or undo our knowledge of Him in order to indulge the flesh, free of responsibility to God. Instead, we can and should rejoice in the special closeness we have to God, and so trust in the greatness of His love, that we ever seek to know more of Him rather than less. Our love of God's ways and desire to know them, so that we might more accurately copy Him, should outweigh our natural fear of His supreme holiness.
4.9 Hell
The popular conception of hell is of a place of punishment for wicked 'immortal souls' straight after death, or the place of torment for those who are rejected at the judgment. It is our conviction that the Bible teaches that hell is the grave, where all men go at death.
As a word, the original Hebrew word 'sheol', translated 'hell', means 'a covered place'. 'Hell' is the Anglicized version of 'sheol'; thus when we read of 'hell' we are not reading a word which has been fully translated. A 'helmet' is literally a 'hell-met', meaning a covering for the head. Biblically, this 'covered place', or 'hell', is the grave. There are many examples where the original word 'sheol' is translated 'grave'. Indeed, some modern Bible versions scarcely use the word 'hell', translating it more properly as 'grave'. A few examples of where this word 'sheol' is translated 'grave' should torpedo the popular conception of hell as a place of fire and torment for the wicked:-
- "Let the wicked...be silent in the grave" (sheol [Ps. 31:17]) - they will not be screaming in agony.
- "God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave" (sheol [Ps.49:15]) - i.e. David's soul or body would be resurrected from the grave, or 'hell'.
The belief that hell is a place of punishment for the wicked from which they cannot escape just cannot be squared with this; a righteous man can go to hell (the grave) and come out again. Hos. 13:14 confirms this: "I will ransom them (God's people) from the power of the grave (sheol); I will redeem them from death". This is quoted in 1 Cor. 15:55 and applied to the resurrection at Christ's return. Likewise in the vision of the second resurrection (see Study 5.5), "death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them" (Rev. 20:13). Note the parallel between death, i.e. the grave, and hell (see also Ps. 6:5).
Hannah's words in 1 Sam. 2:6 are very clear: "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive (through resurrection): he bringeth down to the grave (sheol), and bringeth up".
Seeing that 'hell' is the grave, it is to be expected that the righteous will be saved from it through their resurrection to eternal life. Thus it is quite possible to enter 'hell', or the grave, and later to leave it through resurrection. The supreme example is that of Jesus, whose "soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption" (Acts 2:31) because he was resurrected. Note the parallel between Christ's 'soul' and his 'flesh' or body. That his body "was not left in hell" implies that it was there for a period, i.e. the three days in which his body was in the grave. That Christ went to 'hell' should be proof enough that it is not just a place where the wicked go.
Both good and bad people go to 'hell', i.e. the grave. Thus Jesus "made his grave with the wicked" (Is. 53:9). In line with this, there are other examples of righteous men going to hell, i.e. the grave. Jacob said that he would "go down into the grave (hell)...mourning" for his son Joseph (Gen. 37:35).
It is one of God's principles that the punishment for sin is death (Rom. 6:23; 8:13; James 1:15). We have previously shown death to be a state of complete unconsciousness. Sin results in total destruction, not eternal torment (Matt. 21:41; 22:7; Mark 12:9; James 4:12), as surely as people were destroyed by the Flood (Luke 17:27,29), and as the Israelites died in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:10). On both these occasions the sinners died rather than being eternally tormented. It is therefore impossible that the wicked are punished with an eternity of conscious torment and suffering.
We have also seen that God does not impute sin - or count it to our record - if we are ignorant of His word (Rom. 5:13). Those in this position will remain dead. Those who have known God's requirements will be resurrected and judged at Christ's return. If wicked, the punishment they receive will be death, because this is the judgment for sin. Therefore after coming before the judgment seat of Christ, they will be punished and then die again, to stay dead for ever. This will be "the second death", spoken of in Rev. 2:11; 20:6. These people will have died once, a death of total unconsciousness. They will be resurrected and judged at Christ's return, and then punished with a second death, which, like their first death, will be total unconsciousness. This will last for ever.
It is in this sense that the punishment for sin is 'everlasting', in that there will be no end to their death. To remain dead for ever is an everlasting punishment. An example of the Bible using this kind of expression is found in Deut. 11:4. This describes God's one-off destruction of Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea as an eternal, on-going destruction in that this actual army never again troubled Israel, "He made the water of the Red sea to overflow them...the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day".
Even in early Old Testament times the believers understood that there would be a resurrection at the last day, after which the responsible wicked would return to the grave. Job 21:30,32 is very clear: "The wicked...shall be brought forth (i.e. resurrected) to the day of wrath...yet shall he be brought (then) to the grave". One of the parables about Christ's return and the judgment speaks of the wicked being 'slain' in his presence (Luke 19:27). This hardly fits into the idea that the wicked exist for ever in a conscious state, constantly receiving torture. In any case, this would be a somewhat unreasonable punishment - eternal torture for deeds of 70 years. God has no pleasure in punishing wicked people; it is therefore to be expected that He will not inflict punishment on them for eternity (Eze. 18:23,32; 33:11 cp. 2 Peter 3:9).
Apostate Christendom often associates 'hell' with the idea of fire and torment. This is in sharp contrast to Bible teaching about hell (the grave). "Like sheep they are laid in the grave (hell); death shall feed on them" (Ps. 49:14) implies that the grave is a place of peaceful oblivion. Despite Christ's soul, or body, being in hell for three days, it did not suffer corruption (Acts 2:31). This would have been impossible if hell were a place of fire. Eze. 32:26-30 gives a picture of the mighty warriors of the nations around, lying at peace in their graves: "The mighty that are fallen (in battle)...which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads...they shall lie...with them that go down to the pit". This refers to the custom of burying warriors with their weapons, and resting the head of the corpse upon its sword. Yet this is a description of "hell" - the grave. These mighty men lying still in hell (i.e. their graves), hardly supports the idea that hell is a place of fire. Physical things (e.g. swords) go to the same "hell" as people, showing that hell is not an arena of spiritual torment. Thus Peter told a wicked man, "Thy money perish with thee"(Acts 8:20).
The record of Jonah's experiences also contradicts this. Having been swallowed alive by a huge fish, "Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried...unto the Lord...out of the belly of hell cried I" (Jonah 2:1,2). This parallels "the belly of hell" with that of the whale. The whale's belly was truly a 'covered place', which is the fundamental meaning of the word 'sheol', translated 'hell'. Obviously, it was not a place of fire, and Jonah came out of "the belly of hell" when the whale vomited him out. This pointed forward to the resurrection of Christ from 'hell' (the grave) - see Matt. 12:40.
FIGURATIVE FIRE
However, the Bible does frequently use the image of eternal fire in order to represent God's anger with sin, which will result in the total destruction of the sinner in the grave. Sodom was punished with "eternal fire" (Jude v. 7), i.e. it was totally destroyed due to the wickedness of the inhabitants. Today that city is in ruins, submerged beneath the waters of the Dead Sea; in no way is it now on fire, which is necessary if we are to understand 'eternal fire' literally. Likewise Jerusalem was threatened with the eternal fire of God's anger, due to the sins of Israel: "Then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched" (Jer. 17:27). Jerusalem being the prophesied capital of the future Kingdom (Is. 2:2-4; Ps. 48:2), God did not mean us to read this literally. The great houses of Jerusalem were burnt down with fire (2 Kings 25:9), but that fire did not continue eternally.
Similarly, God punished the land of Idumea with fire that would "not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste...the owl and the raven shall dwell in it...thorns shall come up in her palaces" (Is. 34:9-15). Seeing that animals and plants were to exist in the ruined land of Idumea, the language of eternal fire must refer to God's anger and His total destruction of the place, rather than being taken literally.
The Hebrew and Greek phrases which are translated "for ever" mean strictly, "for the age". Sometimes this refers to literal infinity, for example the age of the kingdom, but not always. Ez. 32:14,15 is an example: "The forts and towers shall be dens for ever...until the spirit be poured upon us". This is one way of understanding the 'eternity' of 'eternal fire'.
Time and again God's anger with the sins of Jerusalem and Israel is likened to fire: "Mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place (Jerusalem)...it shall burn, and shall not be quenched" (Jer. 7:20; other examples include Lam. 4:11 and 2 Kings 22:17).
Fire is also associated with God's judgment of sin, especially at the return of Christ: "For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up" (Mal. 4:1). When stubble, or even a human body, is burnt by fire, it returns to dust. It is impossible for any substance, especially human flesh, to literally burn for ever. The language of 'eternal fire' therefore cannot refer to literal eternal torment. A fire cannot last for ever if there is nothing to burn. It should be noted that "hell" is "cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:14). This indicates that hell is not the same as "the lake of fire"; this represents complete destruction. In the symbolic manner of the book of Revelation, we are being told that the grave is to be totally destroyed, because at the end of the Millennium there will be no more death.
GEHENNA
In the New Testament there are two Greek words translated 'hell'. 'Hades' is the equivalent of the Hebrew 'sheol' which we have discussed earlier. 'Gehenna' is the name of the rubbish tip which was just outside Jerusalem, where the refuse from the city was burnt. Such rubbish tips are typical of many developing cities today (e.g. 'Smoky Mountain' outside Manila in the Philippines.) As a proper noun - i.e. the name of an actual place - it should have been left untranslated as 'Gehenna' rather than be translated as 'hell. 'Gehenna' is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew 'Ge-ben-Hinnon'. This was located near Jerusalem (Josh. 15:8), and at the time of Christ it was the city rubbish dump. Dead bodies of criminals were thrown onto the fires which were always burning there, so that Gehenna became symbolic of total destruction and rejection.
Again the point has to be driven home that what was thrown onto those fires did not remain there for ever - the bodies decomposed into dust. "Our God (will be) a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29) at the day of judgment; the fire of His anger with sin will consume sinners to destruction rather than leave them in a state of only being singed by it and still surviving. At the time of God's previous judgments of His people Israel at the hand of the Babylonians, Gehenna was filled with dead bodies of the sinners among God's people (Jer. 7:32,33).
In his masterly way, the Lord Jesus brought together all these Old Testament ideas in his use of the word 'Gehenna'. He often said that those who were rejected at the judgment seat at His return would go "into Gehenna (i.e."hell"), into the fire that never shall be quenched; where their worm dieth not" (Mark 9:43,44). Gehenna would have conjured up in the Jewish mind the ideas of rejection and destruction of the body, and we have seen that eternal fire is an idiom representing the anger of God against sin, and the eternal destruction of sinners through death.
The reference to "where their worm dieth not", is evidently part of this same idiom for total destruction - it is inconceivable that there could be literal worms which will never die. The fact that Gehenna was the location of previous punishments of the wicked amongst God's people, further shows the aptness of Christ's use of this figure of Gehenna.
Digression 11: Purgatory
The Roman Catholic church teaches that the souls of God's people may go to a place called 'purgatory' after death, which is a half-way house between 'heaven' and 'hell'. They teach that it is a place of purging, in which the soul will suffer for a while before being fit to gain salvation in heaven. The prayers, candle-burning and financial gifts to the church of a person and his friends is supposed to shorten the length of time that the soul suffers in 'purgatory'. The gross error of such ideas should be established from the following:-
- The Bible is silent concerning the existence of such a place.
- We have shown that the soul refers to our body, rather than to some immortal element within us, and that 'hell' is the grave rather than a place of punishment.
- The righteous are never promised salvation in heaven. The granting of salvation will be at the judgment seat at Christ's return, rather than at some time after death when we supposedly leave 'purgatory' (Matt. 25:31-34; Rev. 22:12).
- All the righteous receive their rewards at the same time, rather than each person gaining salvation at different times (Heb. 11:39,40; 2 Tim. 4:8).
- Death is followed by complete unconsciousness, rather than the activities suggested by the doctrine of purgatory.
- We are purged from our sins through baptism into Christ and developing a firm faith in his work during our present life, rather than through some period of suffering after death. We are told to "purge out therefore the old leaven" of sin in our lives (1 Cor. 5:7); to purge ourselves from the works of sin (2 Tim. 2:21; Heb. 9:14). Our time of purging is therefore now, in this life, rather than in a place of purging ('purgatory') which we enter after death. "Now is the day of salvation...now is the accepted time" (2 Cor. 6:2). Our obedience to God in baptism and development of a spiritual character in this life, will lead to our salvation (Gal. 6:8) - not to the spending of a period in 'purgatory'.
- The efforts of others to save us through candle-burning and other donations to the Catholic church, will not affect our salvation at all. "They that trust in their wealth...none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him...that he should still live for ever" (Ps. 49:6-9).
Digression 12: Ghosts And Reincarnation
The belief that man continues living in the form of another person or animal being possessed by his spirit, was one of the earliest ways in which man tried to convince himself that death was not as final as it appeared.
We have shown that the spirit of man refers to the breath/life force within him, which returns to God when he dies (Ecc. 12:7). This means that his spirit is not moving around as a 'ghost', nor is it free to possess another person or animal so that the man's personality is continued through them. We will each be judged for our own works (2 Cor. 5:10). If our actions and characteristics are a function of a previous person's character, then this concept of God judging and rewarding us according to our works (Rev. 22:12) is made a nonsense.
The spirit returns to God at death, and all consciousness ceases. Any attempt to contact the dead therefore shows a serious misunderstanding of the ample Bible teaching concerning this (see Is. 8:19,20). The Bible is quite plain that people do not return to their previous houses or towns in any way after they are dead; there can be no such thing as a 'spirit' or 'ghost' haunting such a place after the person has died. Job 20:7-9 could not express this in more blunt terms: "(Man) shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he? He...shall not be found...The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place (house/town) any more behold him". Job 7:9,10 is similar: "He that goeth down to the grave...shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more". A humble acceptance of this will lead us to discount all claims to have seen the 'ghosts' of dead people, haunting their old houses. Such experiences must at best be tricks of the imagination.
Digression 13: With What Nature Are We Resurrected?
We have shown that eternal life and being changed to God's nature are granted to the faithful after the judgment. Christ will firstly resurrect those responsible to his judgment, and then judge them after they have been gathered to him. Seeing that the reward of immortal nature is given at the judgment, it follows that all those who are resurrected have mortal nature first of all. If they are resurrected with immortal bodies, then there is no reason for a judgment seat at which to dispense the rewards.
We enter the Kingdom of God straight after the judgment seat (Matt. 25:34); the faithful are therefore not in God's Kingdom before the judgment. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (so)...we shall all be changed...For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:50,51,53). It follows that this change of nature, from mortal to immortal, occurs at the judgment seat, seeing that is where we enter the Kingdom.
However, the inspired apostle Paul often speaks of "the resurrection" in the sense of "the resurrection of life" - the resurrection of the righteous, who will then receive eternal life after judgment. He understood, of course, "that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust" (Acts 24:15). He would have been aware that the responsible "shall come forth (from the grave); they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:29).
In his positive way, Paul seems to have often referred to this "resurrection of life" when he speaks of "the resurrection". The righteous come out of their graves "unto the resurrection of life" - after emerging from the earth they will be judged and then given eternal life. This whole process is "the resurrection of life". There is a difference between their "coming forth" from the grave, and "the resurrection of life". Paul speaks of his striving to live the Christian life, "if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Phil. 3:11). Because he was responsible he will be resurrected to give account at the judgment in any case; that he strove to "attain unto the resurrection" must therefore mean that "the resurrection" here refers to the "resurrection of life".
Other examples of "the resurrection" meaning the "resurrection of life" (cp. Luke 14:14) include Luke 20:35; John 11:24; 1 Cor. 15:21,42; Heb. 11:35; Rev. 20:6. In Ps. 17:15 David speaks of receiving his reward the moment he "awakes". He had the same view of the resurrection, although he knew there would be a judgment. The usage of this phrase, "the resurrection", like this in 1 Cor. 15 helps explain 1 Cor. 15:52 - "the dead shall be raised incorruptible". It is noteworthy that the phrase "the dead" sometimes (and especially in 1 Cor. 15) refers to the righteous dead, who will be resurrected to receive eternal life at the judgment: 1 Cor. 15:13,21,35,42; 1 Thess. 4:16; Phil. 3:11; Rev. 14:13; 20:5,6.
1 Thess. 4:16,17 lists the events associated with Christ's return:-
1. Christ visibly returns
2. The dead are raised
3. The responsible who are alive at the
time will be snatched away to judgment
The granting of eternal life is after this gathering together (Matt. 25:31-34; 13:41-43); therefore immortality cannot be given at the resurrection, seeing that this precedes the gathering together. We have shown that all the righteous will be rewarded at the same moment (Matt. 25:34; Heb 11:39-40). This would be impossible if immortality were granted at the resurrection, seeing that the resurrection precedes the gathering together of the living responsible.
It should be noted, however, that our conception of time is very human; God is not bound by it at all. It is possible to go too far in trying to work out a specific chronology of events which will occur around the time of Christ's return. The resurrection and our change to immortality at the judgment seat are described as occurring "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor.15:51,52). Of necessity, time will go into a different dimension at the moment of Christ's return, at least for those who are to be judged. It is a common Biblical principle that each of those responsible to the judgment will give an account of their lives at the judgment seat, and will have some degree of discussion with their judge, the Lord Jesus (Mt.25:44 etc.; Ecc.3:17; 12:14; Lk.12:2,3; 19:23; Ez.18:21,22; 1 Tim.5:24,25; Rom.14:11,12). Given the vast numbers of the responsible, we have to assume that the meaning of time will be suspended or vastly compressed so that all of us are judged immediately, and yet also individually. Seeing that time will be compressed at this stage, so that the whole process of resurrection and judgment occurs "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye", it is understandable that the resurrection is sometimes spoken of as the means by which the righteous will be given eternal life. However, this is because of the speed at which we will be transferred from the grave to the judgment seat, and then, by God's grace, into the immortal state. The fact still remains, from the verses discussed earlier, that the Bible teaches that eternal life will be granted at the judgment seat rather than the resurrection. For this reason 1 Thess.4:17 speaks of the righteous being called away to the judgment by a trumpet blast, whilst 1 Cor.15:52 speaks of the same trumpet being associated with their being given immortality. This also explains why Paul thought of the resurrection as identical with acceptance at the judgment seat (e.g. Phil.1:23).
Digression 14: The 'Rapture'
There is a widespread belief amongst the 'evangelical' churches that the righteous will be 'raptured' up into heaven at Christ's return. This belief is often associated with the idea that the earth will then be destroyed. We see in Digression 9 that this is an impossibility. We have also shown in Study 4.7 that the place of reward is earth, not heaven. These erroneous beliefs are based around a mistaken interpretation of 1 Thess. 4:16,17: "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven...and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord".
Apart from the evident danger of basing such a major belief on just one passage of Scripture, it should be noted that there is no mention here of the righteous being caught up to Heaven. Christ descends from heaven before the believers meet him. Christ will reign for ever on David's throne in Jerusalem, and we will be with him, here on earth. It is therefore impossible that we should spend eternity with him suspended in mid-air. 'The air' extending only a few kilometres above the earth's surface means that it cannot refer to Heaven, the dwelling place of God.
The Greek phrase translated "caught up" really means to be snatched away; it does not carry the idea of any specific direction. It occurs in Lev. 6:4 and Deut. 28:31 in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) to describe the 'snatching away' of goods in a robbery. It also occurs in Acts 8:39: "The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more...But Philip was found at Azotus". This records how Philip was miraculously transported from one place on earth to another.
When Christ comes, the responsible will be gathered together to the place of judgment; they will not be left to make their own way there. It is possible that our means of transportation to that place will be literally through the air.
Jesus said that "in the day when the Son of man is revealed...two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Luke 17:30,36). This gives the same picture of a sudden snatching away. The disciples earnestly asked, "Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together" (Luke 17:37). As the eagles fly instinctively through the air and then land on earth where the carcase is, so the responsible will be brought to the place where they will meet their Lord in judgment.
We must again emphasize the importance of the doctrine of the judgment seat of Christ; the responsible must first appear there, before the righteous amongst them are rewarded. A superficial reading of 1 Thess. 4:16,17 could lead us to conclude that all the responsible will be snatched up into the air, and remain there with Christ for ever. Instead, we know that the responsible will be gathered to the place of judgment, possibly by being transported through the air, and then receive their rewards.
STUDY 4: Questions
1. What happens after death?
a) The soul goes to Heaven
b) We are unconscious
c) The soul is stored somewhere until judgment
d) Wicked souls go to hell and the good ones to Heaven.
2. What is the soul?
a) An immortal part of our being
b) A word meaning 'body, person, creature'
c) Exactly the same as the spirit
d) Something which goes to Heaven or hell after death.
3. What is the spirit of man?
4. Briefly describe the nature of man.
5. List two Bible verses which prove that death is a state of
unconsciousness.
6. What do you know about the judgment seat of Christ?
7. Who will be resurrected and judged?
8. What is hell?
9. What is Gehenna?